Meter system.



I. A. TILDEN.

METER SYSTEM. y APPLICATION FILED NGV. II I9I2.

1,154,896. Patentedsept. v28, 1915.

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METER SYSTEM.

APPLlcATleN FILED Nov. 11. 1912.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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A the ratio of flow JAMES A. TILDEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS;

METER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rat-@mea sept. as, i915.

Application filed November 11, 1912. Serial No. 730,547.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. TILDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Meter System, of which the following is a specification. l

The present invention relates to systems for measuring fluids, and its principal object, broadly expressed, isto provide means for controlling the flow of fluid through a plurality of measuring passages, such controlling means being common to all.

The invention may be applied to a system of the character described in my Patent No. 971,510, dated September 27, 1910, and in this connection, as will vhereinafter more fully appear, it serves to temporarily change through the main and bypassages of a proportional meter.

In the accompanying drawings, in which such an embodiment of the invention is illustrated, Figure 1 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 2 is al vertical sectionv taken l along the axis of the main conduit; Fig. 3 shows three curves graphically expressive of the operation of the meter system disclosed in the hereinbefore. mentioned patent; and in Fig. 4 appear similar curves for the present invention.

My patented meter system comprises, briefly, a main pipe or conduit A containing an automatic device for controlling fluidflow, preferably in the form of a check-valve B, consisting of the usual casing and clapper or movable member b mounted therein,

and also including a proportional meter C.

A by-pass D conducts fluid by the valve B when the movable member b of the latter contacts with its seat, this continuing as long as the rate of flowthrough the by-pass is insufficient to produce differential pressure between the opposite faces of the member b great enough to unseat it. Such relatively small flows are measured by a suitable meter E in the by-pass D. The proportional meter C comprises a resistance device c, situated in the main conduit and diverting a predetermined portion of the total fluid traversing the conduit through the secondary by-pass or passage c of meter mechanism 02. This passage opens at c3 on the induction-side of the resistance device and discharges at c4 upon the' opposite side. The proportional meter measures excess or emergency flows beyondl theV capacity of the lmeter E.

Meter systems as thus far described are at times liable to register inaccurately for the following reasons: When upon an increase in the rate of flow the check-valve D openson account of a decrease of head through the by-pass due to frictional losses, the mechanism c2 Vof the proportional meter C does not, because of the inertia and friction of its moving parts, begin to register as promptly as the by-pass meter Ev ceases operation'. f In consequence there is a period during which but a portion of the fluid-flow is measured.

The conditions existing under these circumstances are well illustrated by the diagram of Fig. 3. Here the curves u and v are plotted with gallons per minute as abscissae and percentages of registration as ordinates, andv correspond, respectively, to the meter mechanisms E and 0.2. As shown by the curve u, meter E, after fully started in operation, registersl the entire quantity of fluid passing until the critical point o is reached,

at which the check-valve opens. Thereupon the registration falls off, first rapidly then more slowly, until a minimum is attained full value, because of the resistance of the meter E to starting (this error, however, being so small as to be negligible). Upon reaching the maximum it continues horizontally to the critical point, drops sharply as the meter 02 lags, then rises gradually to the maximum again as this meter takes up its full work. The unmeasured Huid-flow is represented .by the generally triangular area between the dotted continuation of the maximum registration line and the depression in the curve.

To cori-ect the above defect l apply the :principle of simultaneous control of plural measuring passages to the system of Patent No. 971,510 in the following manner: The

resistance device is extended toward the valve member b so that its eduction-opening is in close proximity to said member, it thus becoming tubular. About the resistancetube and between it and the inner wall of the main conduit an annular passage is left, this furnishing the portion c* of the passage for the meter mechanism c2, previously rcferred to. This annular portion is closed from the main conduit at the end toward the induction-opening o3, but communicates with this passage as it opens from the meter mechanism. Thus the eduction-opening of the meter-passage is also closely adjacent to the member b. Though in the particular embodiment of the invention here illustrated there is a slight spacelbetween-the end of the resistance-tube and valve member both the flow through the resistance device and the passage o are under the direct influence of the valve. f

It will be observed that with this arrangement, as the member b irst leaves its seat, a relatively greater effective area of the passage c is opened than of the resistancetube, disproportionately increasing the frictional resistancethrough the latter and thus temporarily destroying the true proportional flow through the passages of the meter C, which would give a correct registration of the quantity of Huid traversing the conduit. Until the critical point in the rate of ow has been somewhat past, this adds to the proportion of flow through the meter mechanism c2, and by properly varying the coperative relation of the resistance-tube and valve member, from actual contact to a greater or less degree of separation, this increase may be made to compensate for the tendency of the meter oz'to lag in its starting with respect to the stopping of meter E. The effect of this applicationy of my invention is shown graphically in Fig. 4, in which the curves y, z represent the new conditions similarly to u, lv, fw, of Fig. 3. The curves @a of meter E and y of meter c2 fall and rise from the critical point at the same rate, one being approximatetly a reversed duplicate of the other. In consequence the curve z' of aggregate registration becomes, save for the F or the purpose of making my invention clear, l have 'specifically described one application thereof, but it is to be understood that it is limited to 'this embodiment only as far as may be required by the terms of the following claims:

l. In combination, a conduit, a resistance device therein, a meter provided with a passage' opening into the conduit at opposite sides of the resistance device, and a valve having a portion movable( in the conduit and coperating with the meter-passage and being adapted to open and close the conduit and in closing the conduit to obstruct the meter-passage.y

2. A conduit, a valve having a movable portion situated in the conduit, a meter having a passage connected with the conduit, and a resistance device in the conduit, said resistance device and meter-passage extending into proximity with the same movable portion of the valve, whereby the relation of flow through the resistance device and meter-passage is varied.

3. A meter system comprising a conduit, a resistance-tube of less diameter than the conduit, a meter having a passage opening into the conduit at opposite extremities of the resistance-tube, and a check-valve provided with a movable member which in its closed position is situated in close proximity to one end of the resistance-tube.`

4. A conduit, a valve and a resistance device in the-conduit, and a meter'having a folk and State of Massachusetts, this ninth day of November, 1912.

JAMES A. TILDEN.

Witnesses: p

FRANCIS C. HERSEY, Jr.,` HENRY D. WINToN, 

